to refrain deliberately from an action or practice, usu, as a form of self-denial

abstemious

sparing or moderate, especially in eating or drinking (antonym: self-denial)

abstruse

hard to understand or grasp; esoteric

abut

to border on; to terminate at the boundary or point of contact

abysmal

immeasurable; bottomless

accolade

an award or honor; high praise

acquiesce

to agree silently; to accept tacitly

acrophobia

the fear of heights

acumen

keenness

adamant

unyielding; stubborn

addle

to throw into confusion; to confound

adjure

to command solemnly; to advise earnestly; to beg

adroit

showing skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness

adulation

excessive praise

adumbrate

to intimate or foreshadow; to obscure

aestivate (estivate)

to spend the summer in an inactive state

agglomeration

a collection in a mass, heap, or cluster; aggrandizement

agoraphobia

the fear of open spaces

alacrity

liveliness or eagerness; readiness (antonym: lassitude)

allegory

a symbolic expression or description

allusion

an indirect reference to something else; a hint

alms

charity; something given to the poor (usu, refers to small change)

alpinism

mountain climbing

altruistic

unselfish; concerned with the welfare of others

ambergris

a product of sperm whales used in the manufacture of perfume

amphora

an ancient two-handled Greek jar

anathema

a ban or curse; a denunciation accompanied by excommunication

andiron

a metal support used for holding logs in a hearth

androphobia

the fear of men

anneal

to toughen or to strengthen

anondyne

a pain reliever

anomaly

an aberration; a deviation; an irregularity

antipathy

firm dislike; hatred (antonym: sympathy)

antiseptic

free from germs, exceptionally clean

antithesis

the direct opposite

aphelion

the point in a planet's orbit that is farthese from the sun

apocalyptic

of, or relating to, a revelation or discovery

apocryphal

of doubtful authenticity; spurious

apogee

the point in a satellite's orbit that is fartheset from the center of the earth

aquiline

hooked; like an eagle

arachnophobia

the fear of spiders

archon

the chief magistrate in ancient Athens; any ruler

arid

dull; unimaginative; extremely dry

arrogate

to claim or seize without justification; to usurp

artifice

cleverness; ingenuity

assiduous

diligent

assuage

to ease the intensity of; to appease; to pacify (antonym: exacerbate)

astraphobia

the fear of lightning

atrophy

a wasting away; degeneration

attenuate

to lessen in the amount, force, or value; to weaken

austral

southern (antonym; boreal)

axiom

a self-evedent rule or truth; a widely accepted saying

azure

sky blue

baleful

menacing; harmful

balmy

soothing; mild

banal

trite; commonplace

bellicose

inclined to start wars or fights (antonym: pacific)

beneficent

beneficial (antonym: deleterious)

benign

gracious; favorable; not threatening to health (antonym: malignant)

bibliophile

one who loves books

biennial

occurring every two years

bifurcate

divided in two branches; forked

blighted

withered or rotten; destroyed; frustrated

blithe

happy; merry; cheerful

bombastic

pompous; overblown; turgid

boreal

northern (antonym: austral)

boycott

to engage in a concerted refusal to have dealings with (a person, store, organization) as a sign of disapproval (derived from Charles C. Boycott, an English land agent who was ostracized in Ireland because of his refusal to lower rents)

broach

to make known for the first time; to open up (a subject) for discussion

bromidic

lacking originality; trite

brontophobia

the fear of thunder

brook

to bear or tolerate; to put up with

brusque

abrupt or short in manner or speech

buccal

pertaining to the cheeks or side of the mouth

bucolic

pastoral; relating to rural life

buffoon

a clown or ludicrous figure; someone who amuses with jokes or tricks

bulbous

rotund; round like a bulb

bumptious

aggressive and assertive in an offensive way (antonym: shy; self-effacing)

buoyant

(1) having the ability to float (2) cheerful; gay

burnish

to make shiny or lustrous; to polish

burnoose

a hooded Arabic cloak

cassock

a loose robe worn by priests

cabal

a group united to plot, esp the overthrow of authority

cache

(1) a hiding place (2) something hidden in a secure place

cacophony

a harsh-sounding mixture of words, voices or sounds

caduceus

the emblem of the medical profession (a staff with intertwined snakes and wings at the top)

cajole

to persuade a reluctant person to do something; to coax

caliber

the diameter of the bore of a gun

gauge

the size of a shotgun; measure of the interior diameter of the barrel

calumny

a lie told to damage another's reputation; slander

candid

frank

canonical

orthodox; authoritative

capitulate

to cease resisting; to surrender (often after negotiations)

capricious

unpredictable; governed by a whim

captious

critical;fault-finding

carp

to complain

cashmere

a fine wool from a cashmere goat (derived from Kashmir, India)

catharsis

purification of emotions, esp through art

bathos

sentimentalism; overdone pathos; triteness; anticlimax

pathos

something that evokes pity, compassion, or sorrow

catholic

universal (antonym: provinial; parochial)

caustic

acrid; biting

cavil

to raise trivial objections; to nitpick

cerulean

resembling the blue of the sky

chaff

waste material from the threshing of wheat

dross

waste material fro molten metal

slag

scoria; refuse from the melting of metals of reduction of ore

tailings

waste material from the preparation of ores or grains

chartreuse

yellow-green

chastise

to criticise harshly; to castigate

chauvinism

excessive or blind patriotism (derived from Nicholas Chauvin, a character in a French play)

chicanery

trickery; artful deception

chimerical

fantastically visionary; wildly fanciful

choleric

easily angered or irritated

Cimmerian

(1)adj. shrouded in gloom and darkness (2) n. a mythical people described by Homer as dwelling in gloom

stygian

(1) darky and gloomy (2) relating to the Styx (in Greek mythology, the river of the underworld)

circumlocution

an indirect expression; wordy or evasive language

circumspect

considering all options; cautious

clandestine

surreptitious; secret

claustrophobia

the fear of closed places

clemency

an act of leniency; mercy

cloy

to satiate

glut

to oversupply; to satiate

coda

a passage that concludes a musical or literary work

coalesce

to grow together; to unite into a whole

cogent

pertinent; compelling; convincing

cognizant

perceptive; observant

colloquial

of or relating to conversation; characteristic of informal speech

choleric

easily angered or irritated

Cimmerian

(1)adj. shrouded in gloom and darkness (2) n. a mythical people described by Homer as dwelling in gloom

stygian

(1) darky and gloomy (2) relating to the Styx (in Greek mythology, the river of the underworld)